Steelmaking process and apparatus



Jan. 12, 1965 R. A. VERNA STEELMAKING PROCESS AND APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 2, 1962 INVEN TOR.

RALPH ANGLO VERNA I I H Arfor neys Jan. 12, 1965 R. A. VERNA 3,164,886

STEELMAKING PROCESS AND APPARATUS Filed May 2, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 I V 3/ 1: 3/ 31M 3/ INVENTOR. RALPH ANGLO VERA/A A f forneys Jan. 12, 1965 R. A. VERNA 3,164,886

STEELMAKING PROCESS AND APPARATUS Filed May 2, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 I/VVEIVTOR RALPH ANGLO VERA/A w ww Afforneys United States Patent 3,164,886 STEELMAKING PROCESS AND APPARATUS Ralph Anglo Verna, Scenery Hill, Pa. (Box 186, RD. 1, Daisytown, Pa.) Filed May 2, 1962, Ser. No. 191,830

3 (Ilaiins. (Cl. 29-33) This invention generally relates to'a steelmaking process and apparatus, and more particularly relates to a steelmaking process and apparatus for the handling and treatment of ingots from the .time of teeming until. passed through first forming rolls.

. In the art of steelmaking, ingots are cast in molds, an operation termed teeming, from a crucible or ladle, and are allowed to cool in the molds for a selected period of time during which the molten metal solidifies either partially by forming an outer skin about a molten center, or wholly throughout the ingot. In both circumstances the ingot is separated from the mold after a suitable cooling period of the ingot by a stripping technique which in conventional practice consists of the utilization of an overhead crane with a tong attachment. The tong customarily has a pair of stripper arms for engaging lugs or cutouts on the outer face of the mold walls, and a piston and ram positioned intermediate the arms by which the ingot is held stationary on a stool, or plate, which forms the bottom of an open-topped, big-end-down ingot mold while the mold is lifted or stripped from the ingot by the arms. The so-called big-end-up ingot mold is similarly stripped by suitable tong attachments on overhead cranes, but the ingot is gripped by tong arms while the mold is held stationary. After the stripping operation is completed the ingots are transferred to soaking pits whereupon the ingots are reheated uniformly to elevated rolling temperatures. The reheating process is eliminated in some instances where the molded ingot is of a size and surface finish satisfactory for rolling.

The instant invention is especially adapted for the circumstance where the ingot is in a condition for rolling as it is stripped from the mold, i.e., the temperature at which the ingot is maintained is within the required range for the subsequent rolling operation.

It is 'aprincipal object of the present inventionto' provide a new and improved steelmaking process and apparatus.

Anotherobject is to provide a unique mold and stripper therefor which are integrated into a system whereby an ingot is cast, handled, stripped and rolled with the areas for each operation being in close proximity.

Still another object is the provision of an arrangement of rolls and a stripper which are positioned to cooperate in a time-saving and functionally efficient manner.

A complete understanding of the invention may be had from the following detailed description of a specific embodiment thereof when read in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates the steelmaking apparatus as as sembled in a steelmaking primary plant;

FIG. 2 shows the ingot mold, tong, and buggy assembly;

FIG. 3 depicts the side profile of the mold, stool and mold car shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a big-end-up ingot mold constructed in accordance with the teachings of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view of an embodiment of the arrangement of the stripper and forming rolls;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the stripper shown in FIGS. 1 and 5; and

FIG. 7 is the end view of the stripper platform depicted \n FIG. 6.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, there is shown in FIG. 1, which illus-. trates a preferred embodiment, a mold buggy 11, upon which is installed a stool 12 and a mold 13 preparatory for transfer to a stripper 14. The stripper 14 is shown comprised of two separate parts 15 and 16, either of which is movable relative to the other, but in the preferred embodiment of the invention, the part 15 is shown movable,

with the part 16 held fixed inposition. A suitable power unit 17, such as a hydraulically operated or electrically operated motor, has its output shaft 18 connected to a gear reduction box 19. An output shaft 21 of the gear reduction box 19 is connected to a gear box 22.

A ram 23 is connected to the gear box 22 and to the movable part 15 of the stripper 14 through suitable guide openings 24 provided in the stationary part 16 of the stripper 14. A pair of forming rolls 25 which rotate about a horizontal axis are shown at a station beneath the level of the mold buggy 11 and stripper 14 and a plurality of conveyor rolls 25 extend in a arcuate path beneath the stripper leading to the forming rolls 25. As the ingot mold 13 is stripped from the stripper 14 the ingot 10 drops vertically onto the conveyor rolls 26 and is allowed to advance toward the forming rolls 25 at a speed deter-.

mined by a decelerating arm 27 which is swung pendularly about a shaft 28 which is driven by a power take-oif shaft 29 from the gear box 22. The arm 27 functions as a braking element which is brought against the ingot leading end to slow the feed of the ingot toward the forming rolls 25, whereby the rolls are not struck by the ingot at a speed which would be damaging.

Alternately, the ingot may drop directly between forming rolls 25 in an arrangement as shown in FIG. 5 wherein the rolls 25 are positioned'subjacent the stripper level in alignment with the vertical axis of the ingot as stationed on the stripper 14. After the ingot has been pressed through the forming rolls 25, as depicted in FIG. 5, the conveyor rolls 26 move the ingot for a subsequent operation at a remote station, not shown.

The mold 13 and mold buggy 11 is best illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 wherein there is shown inFIGS. 2 and 3 the mold buggy 11, or car, having a planar deck beneath which are mounted buggy wheels 31 for movement upon a track, not shown. Standards 32 are, firmly attached to the sides of the car 11 by suitable means such as welding and extend upwardly from opposite points of thecar body to a horizontal plane which passes through the mold 13 at its midpoint, for example. The gearing, not shown, of the car 11 is protected by means of a depending apron 33 through which is suitably journaled axles of the buggy wheels 31.

Vertically spaced screw jacks 34 are threaded through each of the standards 32 and include operating handles 35 outwardly of the standards for turning of the screw jacks. The ends of the screw jacks which lie inwardly of the standards are provided with concavo-convex shoes 36 for engagement tangentially with the sides of the mold 13 when placed between the standards 32. The stool 12 is supported on the buggy 11 and is recessed as at 37 for receipt of the mold 13 therein, and functions as a bottom closure of the mold. A tong 38 which is attached to an overhead crane or the like, not shown, is disposed for removal of the ingot mold 13 from the ingot car 11 after the ingot has solidified sufficiently so that the mold may be removed from the stool.

The mold 13 is shown in detail in FIG. 4 wherein there is depicted the two sections 39 and 41 comprising the mold. The two sections are joined along vertical splits 4 2 and 43 of the sides of the mold. Wedge members 44 and 45 are formed integrally with the mold sides for cooperative engagement with the shoes 36 of the screw Patented Jan. 12, "1965 jacks 34 by which means the split mold 113 is held together when positioned on the stool 12 carried by the buggy '13. The mold is open both at its top and bottom ends and is of the so-called big-end-up type; that is, the ingot mold cavity in cross section is smallest at the bottom of the mold, gradually increasing to its greatest cross sectional area at the top of the mold. Suitable lifting lugs 46 are positioned along the horizontal line of the opposite sides of the split mold and are engaged by the arms of the tong 38 for lifting of the molds with their solidified ingots therein. Near the four corners of the bottom surfaces 47 of the mold walls are openings face with retaining members thereon, the mold having 48 which slideably receive upstanding retainer members 'members 49 are received within the openings 48 of the two-part mold 1-3. As the rams 23 urge the stripper part away from the stationary part 16, the split mold is separated along the vertical splits or lines 4 2, 43, and the ingot breaks away from the inside walls of the mold and is gravity fed onto the conveyor rolls 26 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5. To assist in the positionment of the mold onto the stripper, corner angles 52 are fixed to the stripper which are abutted by the outside corners of the mold 13.

The instant invention provides apparatus for molding steel in split molds and includes stripper structure by which the mold parts are separated from the cast ingot. The stripper is so oriented with respect to a pair or pairs of forming rolls that an ingot, when parted from the mold by the stripper, travels toward and between the rolls with the taper of the ingot narrowing in the direction of the rolls to facilitate feeding therethrough. Where circumstances dictate, a decelerating arm is provided to slow the approach of the ingot toward the rolls.

It is manifest that the above-described embodiment of the invention is merely illustrative and that numerous modifications may be made within the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. Steelmaking apparatus comprising a mold buggy, a stool, a vertically split mold supported on the stool and mounted on the buggy for reception of molten metal to provide an ingot, tongs arranged for removing the mold from the stool and buggy, a stripper having an upper surwalls with bottom surfaces provided with openings within which the retaining members are received, the stripper including a fixed part and a movable part, which when the split mold is received on the retaining members are separable to divide the split mold into two sections whereby a freshly poured hot ingot retained by the mold walls is released, the stripper having a central passage straddled by opposed Walls of the split mold, whereby the hot ingot released by the mold drops through the passage, conveyor rolls disposed beneath the passage to receive the hot ingot dropped therethrough and convey the ingot to a, rolling station, at least one pair of pressure rolls in the path of the conveyor rolls for receiving an ingot carried on the conveyor rolls between the pressure rolls whereby the ingot is shaped, and means associated with the conveyor rolls for decelerating the rate of travel of the ingot along said conveyor rolls to the pressure rolls.

2. In a .steelmaking apparatus, the subcombination which comprises a two-section split mold, a stripper for separating the sections of the mold having a stationary platform and a movable platform, conveyor means located beneath the stripper for receiving a vertically disposed ingot and turning it to a horizontal position, the stripper having a passage therethrough into which an ingot drops from the split mold when the mold sections are separated from the ingot, and ingot shaping means disposed in the path of travel of the ingot on the conveyor means.

3. The subcombination as in claim 2 including a deceleratingmeans engageable with the leading end of the ingot While on the conveyor means to slow the advance by gravity of the ingot to the shaping means to a predetermined speed.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 406,181 7/89 Snediker 2292 823,977 6/06 Truswell 2292 1,056,101 3/ 13 Howard 29-333 1,089,562 3/ 14 Howard 29-33.3 1,351,346 8/20 Rowley 22l45X 2,069,485 2/37 Sweet 2933.3 2,216,718 10/40 Bannister 29528. 2,218,809 10/40 Calkins et al. 29-33.3 2,464,163 3/49 Weesner et al. 29-528 2,864,141 12/58 Vallak 22144 RICHARD H. EANES, In, Primary Examiner.

WHITMORE A. WILTZ, Examiner. 

1. STEELMAKING APPARATUS COMPRISING A MOLD BUGGY, A STOOL, A VERTICALLY SPLIT MOLD SUPPORTED ON THE STOOL AND MOUNTED ON THE BUGGY FOR RECEPTION OF MOLTEN METAL TO PROVIDE AN INGOT, TONGS ARRANGED FOR REMOVING THE MOLD FROM THE STOOL AND BUGGY, A STRIPPER HAVING AN UPPER SURFACE WITH RETAINING MEMBERS THEREON, THE MOLD HAVING WALLS WITH BOTTOM SURFACES PROVIDED WITH OPENINGS WITHIN WHICH THE RETAINING MEMBERS ARE RECEIVED, THE STRIPPER INCLUDING A FIXED PART AND A MOVABLE PART, WHICH WHEN THE SPLIT MOLD IS RECEIVED ON THE RETAINING MEMBERS ARE SEPARABLE TO DIVIDE THE SPLIT MOLD INTO TWO SECTIONS WHEREBY A FRESHLY POURED HOT INGOT RETAINED BY THE MOLD WALLS IS RELEASED, THE STRIPPER HAVING A CENTRAL PASSAGES STRADDLED BY OPPOSED WALLS OF THE SPLIT MOLD, WHEREBY THE HOT INGOT RELEASED BY THE MOLD DROPS THROUGH THE PASSAGE, CONVEYOR ROLLS DISPOSED BENEATH THE PASSAGE TO RECEIVE THE HOT INGOT DROPPED THERETHROUGH AND CONVEY THE INGOT TO A ROLLING STATION, AT LEAST ONE PAIR OF PRESSURE ROLLS IN THE PATH OF THE CONVEYOR ROLLS BETWEEN THE PRESSURE INGOT CARRIED ON THE CONVEYOR ROLLS BETWEEN THE PRESSURE ROLLS WHEREBY THE INGOT IS SHAPED, AND MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH THE CONVEYOR ROLLS FOR DECELERATING THE RATE OF TRAVEL OF THE INGOT ALONG SAID CONVEYOR ROLLS TO THE PRESSURE ROLLS. 